Harbin is the 15th city in the Chinese mainland to embrace the policy, following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenyang, Dalian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, and Tianjin.

The policy covers travelers from 51 countries and regions, including the United States, Russia, Britain, France and Japan. They can enjoy a 72-hour stay in the city upon entry via the Harbin Taiping International Airport, providing they have third country visas and onward tickets to leave for a third country or region within 72 hours.

Harbin is heralded as the Ice City for its well-known beautiful ice sculpture festival in the winter, the largest in the world. Harbin airport has already launched direct flights to Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and several countries in Southeast Asia.